A Waukesha man accused of taking a man hostage inside a Meijer grocery store in Waukesha July 30 has been charged with six felonies, according to a criminal complaint filed Aug. 18.
Anthony Lehman, 21, is accused of first-degree reckless injury by use of a dangerous weapon, three counts of second-degree recklessly endangering safety by use of a dangerous weapon, false imprisonment by use of a dangerous weapon and terrorist threats by use of a dangerous weapon.
If convicted on all charges, Lehman faces up to 93½ years in prison and up to $195,000 in fines. Lehman’s first court appearance took place Aug. 18, when he was given a $1 million cash bond, according to online court records. He remains in custody at the Waukesha County Jail.
Lehman called 911 after taking a man hostage
According to the complaint:
At around 5:51 p.m. July 30, Waukesha County emergency dispatch received a call from a man who identified himself as Anthony Lehman and told a dispatcher that he had a hostage in the men’s bathroom of Meijer, 801 E. Sunset Drive in Waukesha, and demanded to speak to a hostage negotiator.
While on the phone with dispatch, Lehman was heard telling the hostage to put his feet flat on the ground and that if he didn’t cooperate, he would get seriously hurt. He was then heard a short time later ordering the man to look straight ahead and down.
The 911 operator asked Lehman if he had any weapons, and he stated he did, telling dispatch he had a “dead man switch,” which was later determined to be a spring clamp tool with two razor blades attached to the end of it. He also told operators he had a knife, before again being heard ordering the hostage to sit on the floor and not move.
Lehman told dispatch that the hostage was a random man he had found in Meijer.
911 operators told Lehman police were responding to the grocery store. Lehman told them not to let law enforcement officials into the men’s bathroom or the situation could “go south real f—-ing fast.”
A Waukesha specialist told Lehman over the phone they didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Lehman repeated his request to have multiple hypnotists respond to the scene. The specialist then asked Lehman if he had ever seen a hypnotist or taken any medications and where he lived. As Lehman answered the specialist’s questions, he told her to hold on for a second.
Police arrived at the store around 5:57 p.m. while dispatch was still on the phone with Lehman.
The hostage chased Lehman through Meijer after bathroom standoff
Meijer store surveillance footage showed Lehman arrived at the grocery store and immediately went into the men’s bathroom at 5:44 p.m. A few minutes later, the victim entered the bathroom. At 5:53 p.m., a Meijer employee briefly entered the restroom, but came out almost immediately and reported hearing some concerning things to his manager.
At 5:59 p.m., Lehman exited the restroom while the Meijer store director was in immediate proximity. Lehman then approached the store director with the blue clamp with razor blades and put the knife up to the store director’s wrist. The store director later told police that Lehman told him to give him his wrist.
The store director then pulled his arm away, at which point he reported that Lehman panicked and ran to the produce area. The store director also said the man who became the hostage was chasing Lehman while holding a belt in his hand, before hearing customers in the store screaming as Lehman ran by them with the two knives still in his hands.
A married couple who were in the produce section told a detective that Lehman ran into the produce section of the store and told the man to give him his hand. The man also noticed the hostage coming after Lehman. The man initially thought Lehman wasn’t serious, but pulled away when Lehman tried to grab his hand.
Lehman then grabbed the man’s wife’s wrist. She pushed Lehman away with her shopping cart, which was knocked over during the incident. The woman said Lehman grabbed her wrist with such force that it swelled up.
Officer opens fire as Lehman raises knife toward hostage
Waukesha police entered Meijer and followed the sound of the yelling to Lehman’s location. One officer approached the aisle where Lehman was located and had the hostage behind him. The officer saw Lehman turn around toward the man while raising one of the knives over his head as if he was about to swing down or slash the hostage.
Fearing for the man’s life, the officer fired three shots at Lehman, striking him three times in the abdomen and arm areas. Once Lehman was down, police recovered the two knives and began life-saving efforts on Lehman. He was later transported to a local hospital for medical treatment.
Police subsequently learned that the hostage who was between Lehman and the officer suffered an injury to his thumb. It was later determined that one of the bullets that struck Lehman first struck the hostage’s thumb, causing the top of the victim’s thumb to come off.
The hostage was later medically treated for his injury, but permanently lost his thumb above the knuckle.
Man says Lehman ordered him to glue his hands to the floor
While the man who was held hostage was being treated at the hospital, he told a detective he and his wife stopped into Meijer to pick up a few items when he decided to use the bathroom. While in the bathroom, he said Lehman came out of a stall in the men’s room and told him he was his hostage. The man saw Lehman holding what he initially believed was a pair of scissors with two blades.
He then stated Lehman told him to sit down, which he would not do. Lehman then pulled out a knife, causing the victim to follow his command and sit on the bathroom floor. Lehman told the man he didn’t want to hurt him, and then pulled out a bottle of clear glue and ordered the victim to glue his own hands to the floor.
The man said he refused to glue his hands to the floor, but remained seated in front of the stall while Lehman sat on the toilet. Lehman gave the man more commands to hold up his right arm, which he did. Lehman then touched the blade of the knife to his wrist, but the man stated he did not believe he was directly cut. He told the detective he feared Lehman would hurt him if he tried to leave the restroom.
The man stated his wife called his phone, which Lehman took away from him. He then heard Lehman call 911. At one point, he saw Lehman put the knife down on the toilet paper area in the stall and saw an opportunity to get away. He said he took off his belt and began swinging it, with the buckle furthest away from his body.
He then stated Lehman grabbed the knife, and he told Lehman he would get hit with the belt buckle if he got any closer. Lehman yelled at him to put the belt down, but the man refused, and Lehman then backed away and left the bathroom.
Fearing Lehman would harm someone, the man chased after him and yelled to others that Lehman had a knife. The man continued chasing Lehman through the store, watching as Lehman approached the store director and then the married couple in the produce section.
The man told investigators he knew police had entered the store but did not know exactly where they were. As he continued chasing Lehman down an aisle, he heard gunfire, saw Lehman fall to the floor, and then felt pain in his hand.
Other customers and employees told police that Lehman’s actions caused panic throughout the store. Some hid inside the store while others evacuated.
While Lehman was later being treated at Froedtert Hospital, a detective assigned to guard him reported that Lehman asked, unsolicited, “Am I on the news?” and “What happened to the guy that was chasing me?”
The following day, a hospital staff member asked Lehman about his intentions on July 30. Lehman allegedly said he intended to hurt the hostage for “leverage.”
When the staff member asked Lehman to elaborate, he responded, “No comment.”
Lehman’s next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 27.
Adrienne Davis is a general assignment and breaking news reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Charges filed against Waukesha man following Meijer hostage case
Reporting by Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
